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Malindi Police chief Muchangi Mutava told local media: “The man excused himself while having breakfast with his wife and proceeded to the water point and started taking pictures.

“He then may have moved closer to the elephants, provoking the one that charged at him after if felt it was under threat.”

Elephant attacks are estimated to leave more than 2,000 people dead a year globally, although the majority of incidents are in India and Sri Lanka where village communities and the wild animals witness greater degrees of conflict.

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The tusker attacked after it was disturbed at a watering hole in Kenya’s famous Tsavo National Park

Two high profile elephant attacks in Africa this year have saw both Hollywood A-lister Arnie Schwarzenegger and a leading British conservationist have lucky escapes after being charged by tuskers.

He then may have moved closer to the elephants, provoking the one that charged at him

Malindi Police chief Muchangi Mutava

Home video footage in June showed how close the Terminator star came to being terminated by a 12,000-lb charging animal.

Even though Arnie joked about needing to change his pants after the drama in South Africa, he was nothing but in awe of a creature that is fast-vanishing from its wild haunts because of the poaching crisis.

Arnie told his fans: “I couldn't have written this safari encounter better if it was a movie.

“I'm absolutely in awe of these beautiful, strong animals, even though some of us had to change our pants after this.

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Elephant attacks are estimated to leave more than 2,000 people dead a year globally

“We need to stop killing them - take a photo, not a shot. Would you rather be able to experience these creatures or a hunk of ivory? I thought so.”

Weeks later, elephant expert Ian Redmond OBE was lucky to escape with his life after being attacked by an 11,000-lb animal in Kenya’s Mount Elgon National Park.

One of the elephant’s powerful kicks knocked a video camera from his hand, switching it on so that the attack was captured on film.

The conservation expert, who escaped with a partially dislocated shoulder and soft tissue injuries to his chest and neck, explained: “I was pushed into a high-speed backward roll and found myself momentarily upside down between his front legs with my feet touching his chest – and then completed the backward roll and landed on my hands and knees under his belly, facing his hind legs.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger had a lucky escape from an elephant attack earlier this year

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The Convention in Trade of Endangered Species meet next week and will discuss the ivory trade

“I think he was trying to kick me into a position where he could either ‘kneel’ on me with his wrist or reach me with his trunk.”

Born Free Foundation, the international wildlife charity, released footage of Redmond’s incredible escape as it highlighted the likeliest reason for the attack: the bull elephant probably thought he was defending his herd from poachers.

Elephant poaching and the ivory trade will be high on the agenda when 180 countries meet next week for the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) summit in South Africa.

There are fears there will be an attempt by Zimbabwe and Namibia to legalise their ivory trade despite attempts by a coalition of 29 African states to give elephants the highest level of conservation protection.